BJP Tamil Nadu president Annamalai hints at expansion of NDA in state, says alliance is 'work in progress'

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu president Annamalai on Thursday hinted at the possibility of expansion of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Tamil Nadu by saying that an alliance is a “work in progress”. “Any alliance is a work in progress. Closer to the elections you will see a different formation. We are happy that we have a fantastic relationship with all (constituent) parties (of NDA). The constituents of NDA are very clear that there is no change per se. We have another 7 months to go and a lot of things may change…,” he told reporters here after holding a meeting with office bearers and district presidents from the BJP. Annamalai also said that the 2024 Lok Sabha poll is for electing Narendra Modi Prime Minister of the country for the third time. “This will be reflected in Tamil Nadu too. After the election, you will see all the 39 MPs from here supporting Prime Minister Modi,” Annamalai said. When asked about the allegation against him by the AIADMK leaders when they snapped the alliance with the BJP, he said that he would not respond to the specific charges, adding that which side people of the state are on will be known after the 2024 election. AIADMK had exited the NDA alliance after it accused the state BJP leaders of belittling its icons such as former Chief Ministers C N Annadurai and J Jayalalithaa. Annamalai’s comments about these leaders irked the AIADMK leaders. According to sources, Annamalai had a discussion with the BJP high command in Delhi on the AIADMK alliance. In Thursday’s meeting, it was expected that Annamalai would share his views and those of the BJP’s central leaders with the office bearers. AIADMK general secretary Edappadi Palaniswami on Wednesday clarified that there was no pressure from anyone to leave the BJP-led NDA in the State. “We are strong with our decision to break ties with the BJP. No one put any pressure on us to take this decision. A few incidents hurt our cadres,” Edappadi Palaniswami said while speaking to reporters in Salem. Palaniswami further said, “From Prime Minister Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J P Nadda, no one put any pressure on us and we decided to break the ties with BJP respecting our cadres voice.”